


This Isn't Possible

by Aseikh



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Gen, Mild Gore, Mild Language, Murder Mystery, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-19 16:36:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4753370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aseikh/pseuds/Aseikh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ameila Talper, first Lady-in-Waiting to Adalaine Verline, daughter to the Baron of Caraway fief, has been found dead, and Will and Halt are sent to investigate. One problem: Decades before, after Halt and Crowley had reestablished the Ranger Corps, they investigated the murder of the same victim. The fact that her body was there and intact was simply not possible. Yet, there it lay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1: This Isn't Possible

"So," Crowley hesitated, glancing warily across his desk at Halt, before continuing, "do . . . do you remember that murder, Halt, that we dealt with?"

Halt raised an eyebrow at Crowley. "Which one?"

From Will's view in the back of the room, Crowley almost seemed like he didn't know what he was talking about. Well, he usually  _didn't_  but when giving out missions, he usually did. Or, Will continued to think, maybe he always doesn't know what he's talking about, and just gets lucky when I'm around?

Back at the commandant's desk, Crowley and Halt were arguing on which murder they dealt with that Crowley was trying to reference. Will didn't need to hear that, only the specifics later on. He looked around the room. Even though Crowley was the commandant, and Will wasn't the best at following instructions (or laws), and one would assume that meant he saw the inside of this office more often, the young Ranger had only been inside this office a few times before. As before, though, there were stacks of paper everywhere. On the ground, on the two chairs that were in front of the desk, on the desk, to the sides of the desk, and even on the couch Will was leaning on. Crowley was a good commandant, but he was the most disorganized, clueless, person Will had ever met.

The curtains were drawn over the large window at Crowley's back, making the room darker than what it should have been. Shafts of light got through the break in the curtains, giving the small room some light, but barely enough to see by. Halt had actually tripped over a pile of papers when they had walked in, being unable to see it in the gloom. Halt had not been happy.

Will glanced around the room more, taking in the dust on the shelves that lined the walls, that the knick-knacks placed on those shelves were fairly dusty as well. He lifted his bottom from the couch arm he was leaning on, and noticed that he had made a butt shaped imprint in the layer of dust. Looking back towards the commandant, and seeing the dust drifting in air, seen only because the curtains were letting in  _some_ light, he realized that something was . . .  _off._

Crowley was disorganized, clueless, sometimes a bit thick, and exasperating at times, but he was not so lazy to not let in one of the maids to dust for him. He took his eyes off the dust in the air, and examined the commandant. The gloom inside the room in addition to the small amount of light that was allowed in made it hard to see the details of Crowley's face. He sounded normal, and he was still poking fun at Halt, as normal, but . . .

Will marched towards the desk. Neither Halt nor Crowley heard or saw him, surprisingly, and they didn't turn towards him when he walked by. Crowley didn't react when Will slipped behind the older commandant, and stood by the window, but Halt glanced curiously at his former apprentice before looking back to Crowley to respond to his latest addition to their argument.

"Okay, but she was like, really tall, -"

"Crowley,  _I'm married to a tall woman."_ Halt snapped back.

"Okay, but she was a brunette, I think. Or maybe her hair was black?"

"How about we try finding the original file? I'm sure with your impeccable organization, we'd find it in minutes!" Halt waved his arm around the room, nearly hitting a tall stack at the edge of the table. Will put a hand on the top of the stack, steadying it before it fell, or Halt or Crowley noticed.

"Well, that's just rude, Halt. And, actually, I had the file right here, but I lost it. She was tall, with dark brown hair, or black hair, with brown eyes -"

"That narrows it down." The grizzled Ranger added dryly.

"Shut it," Crowley pointed at Halt's chest, "and let me finish." Halt shrugged in response, obviously not feeling very threatened.

The Commandant started to describe this mystery girl once again, and Will turned back towards the window.

"I think she was wearing a rather fancy, expensive dress -"

"So, she was a noble? A lady?"

"Well, maybe a Lady-in-Waiting, but yeah. The dress was green, I think, with silver threaded into it. Very intricate, very fitting for her. Her face, now, her face was beautiful. I remember us commenting that she had an entire life ahead of her, as she was so beautiful and young, and she sort of reminded me of Duncan's late wife. Her hair -" Will ripped the curtains aside, rather violently, and fairly dramatic. Light from the day outside filled the room. Crowley and Halt flinched, not expecting the sudden, violent movement.

Now, dust could be seen everywhere, and it didn't take specifically looking for it to find it. Crowley was frozen in his spot, a look of terror evident in his eyes. Halt hadn't moved from his spot, but he had an incredulous look directed towards his apprentice.

At the base of the window, sitting on the frame, was a single file.

"This the file you're looking for?" Will picked up the small leather folder, and started to page through the papers. Definitely an older file, the papers were dry, not exactly brittle, but close to it. He stopped at a random page, and smiled.

"What?" Halt asked.

Will's smile broadened, and he held out the file in front of him, and started to read from the page he had randomly stopped on. "'Victim description: young woman, mid to late twenties, with long dark brown hair, with brown eyes. Wearing a green and silver ball gown with green slips on her feet. Very beautiful and elegant face. Possibly a lady, or lady-in-waiting, although not currently identified,'" Will paused for dramatic effect. Crowley started to say something, and reach for the file, but Will pulled the file closer to himself. "Not done yet," Will continued, "'Edit: The young lady/lady-in-waiting has been identified as Amelia Talper, former first Lady-in-Waiting to Adalaine Verline, daughter to Baron Wester Verline, current Baron of Caraway Fief.'" He snapped the file shut, and held it out to Crowley.

"Amelia Talper?" Halt asked, turning to face Will.

He nodded, "That's what it said. Amelia Talper, strangled in the woods south of Erostey, although no one has any clue how she got there. Folder's marked as a cold case."

Crowley nodded, somewhat numbly. "Ye-yeah. Cold case. She was one of the few, and probably the most tragic," he looked down, and start to play with the stack of papers on his chair, suddenly looking breakable.

Halt continued for him, "If I remember correctly, she and her lady, Lady Adalaine Verline, were very close friends. They were supposed to meet for meal, but Amelia never showed up. A few days later, and they found the body of the young lady in the woods south of Erostey, like you said."

The young Ranger crossed his arms. "And the two of you never found who did it?"

They both shook their heads, and Halt replied, "No, there wasn't much to go on. Her dress was still in good condition, with a few rips in the skirt. We assumed the rips were from running in the forest, possibly from her attacker, but she was wearing slippers, which had no damage to them. Normally we'd be able to narrow down the build and height of the person from the bruises on her neck, but she was strangled with the sash around her waist. There wasn't even any footprints from what I remember."

The three of them were quiet for some time, Will now leaning against the sill of the window, Crowley distractingly playing with a stack of papers, and Halt quietly standing on the other side of the desk, looking forlorn. Almost as if they were all silently apologizing to Amelia Talper for never finding her murderer.

Halt eventually broke the silence, "So . . ." He paused, glancing at his old friend to see if he was listening. Crowley didn't look up, and continued to play shuffle the papers, but motioned for Halt to go on. "So, what does the murder of Amelia Talper have to do with why you asked us here?"

Silence. Will was about to tap Crowley on the shoulder to see if he heard, when Crowley started to reply. "There was another murder. South of Castle Erostey, in the same forest that Amelia Talper was murdered in," he said quietly. He stopped, seemed finished, but continued. "A young lady, long brown hair, green dress. Beautiful, except for the strangulation bruises around her neck."

Will frowned. "Sounds like the same person, in my opinion. Serial killer with the m.o. of young, beautiful, brunettes in green dresses." He absentmindedly picked up a broken ball end of a striker. Whoever had gotten hit hard enough with a striker to cause it to break like that probably wasn't still alive. He started to toss the metal ball up in the air, catch it, then toss it up again. Although he didn't say it, he was relieved that the m.o. of the killer was beautiful brunettes - Alyss wore green sometimes, when not in her white courier gown, and was, under no question, beautiful.

Both Halt and Crowley shook their heads. "Unless it's a copy-cat, Will, that's probably not possible," Halt said. "First, this would only be the second victim. Second, why, if he - or she - was a serial killer, would they wait so long to kill their second victim? Either way -"

"There's more." Crowley murmured.

Halt gave Crowley an exasperated look. "So? What is it?"

"The lady's name. Everything." He stopped, and didn't continue.

Apprentice and Master exchanged a look of complete befuddlement. Crowley was confusing, that was obvious, but he usually wasn't this bad. Or this silent.

"Crowley -" Will started, but stopped as Crowley held out a file for him. It wasn't the same file he had picked up earlier and read from, and, in fact, looked brand new. This is why we're here, Will thought. Finally. He looked back up at Crowley, and the sandy-haired Ranger motioned for him to read. Will caught the steel ball, and held it in his hand.

Knowing that Halt would need to know what it said as well, he read aloud, "'Ranger Commandant Crowley, I am writing to you because I need to borrow a Ranger from you. Ranger Gavin who is usually with us in Erostey is currently not available, as he is dealing with bandits in the northern part of Erostey Fief, and is not expected to return for some time, as he thought he'd go around up north and check things out. Just recently, a body of a young lady has been found south of the castle. At first, I thought it was just a plain murder, possibly a crime of passion, and was going to assign a knight to figure things out, but when I heard the details, passed on to me from my steward, I had to have a Ranger. You won't believe me, I know, but there is a sort of legend about the woods south of Erostey Castle, pertaining to the murder of a young lady that was never solved. It's become such a legend that the details of the case are no longer secrets, and everyone knows the basic details. Well, it's almost as if someone was trying to recreate the dreadful scene from the local legend! Everything is exactly as it says it should be in the legend, and, to be honest, it gave me a large surprise. It could be the exact same girl, I swear -"

"That's fine, Will." Crowley interrupted. Will snapped the file shut, and held it out to Halt, who took it curiously. He paged through the few sheets already in there, examining the details for himself. Will started to toss the steel ball again.

"Just sounds like a copy-cat to me, Crowley." Halt stated doubtfully.

Crowley stood up straighter, and walked around his desk. He started to pace, walking around the stacks on the floor so skillfully Will had a feeling he did it often.

"But that's the thing, Halt! You may have read it, but Baron Brianus stated some details later on in the letter. Exactly the same as the original. I compared the stuff he said in that letter to what you and I wrote in the original file.  _Everything is the same."_

Halt and Will were doubtful. "Look," Will started, "couldn't it be possible the killer just made it seem the same? I've heard of people murdering along the lines of fictional works before. A legend, while based off a real event, is the same thing, essentially."

Crowley shook his head, but before he could say anything, Halt cut in. "He does have a point, Crowley. Brianus stated that the details of the original murder has practically become common knowledge. It's easily explained away."

The commandant shook his head even more vigorously. "No, no, it's exactly the same. Exactly."

"How can you be so sure of that, though?" Will asked, somewhat curiously. It was definitely extremely similar to the older case, but it would be impossible for it to be exactly the same. That would mean same victim, same connections, everything. And, although 'exactly', may not mean  _exactly_  that, but he could tell - what Crowley was trying to get across to them was that it  _was_ one-hundred percent the same.

Will looked out the window. One-hundred percent the same meant same victim, even though that wasn't possible. And, a Verline hasn't ruled in Caraway for years, so it's not as if they just killed a similar looking lady who just so happened to fit the other standards.

"I don't know!" Crowley threw his hands up into the air. "I have no clue  _how_ I know, I just know that I  _do_ know!"

Halt opened his mouth, a dry reply on his tongue, before Crowley snapped "And  _don't ask me how I know that I know!"_

Will, being the closer of the two to Crowley, took a step away from him.

The old, grizzled Ranger held up his hands in defeat. "Okay! Okay, Crowley. What do you want us to do?"

Crowley seemed to calm down, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Investigate it like you'd normally investigate a murder. Find connections, interview people, the routine stuff. But at the same time, cross-check everything you learn with what we put in the original report."

Halt suddenly looked suspicious. "What's the catch?"

The commandant grinned. "I'm coming with."

* * *

The young girl, Will refused to think of her as a lady or woman, couldn't possibly have been older than twenty. She had long dark brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and lips so red it could have been blood. She had a slender face, darkly tanned skin, and high cheekbones. When Will laid eyes on her body, he had to turn away. He saw Halt glance curiously at him, but then the grizzled Ranger took a second glance at the body and immediately understood.

A girl so young, dark brown hair and eyes, tanned skin . . . she reminded Will of his daughter, who was currently away from the country with her mother, doing courier work. Caitlyn, his daughter, took after him with her looks, but otherwise was completely like her mother, elegant. It didn't help that she would be turning seventeen soon.

Crowley didn't see what stalled Will, and didn't notice when Halt whispered, "Will, it's not her. She's too old. It's not Caty."

Will nodded, knowing that Halt was right. But he still refused to come near. "I'll check the surrounding areas, okay? I just need some time." Halt nodded, understanding his want to get away from the body.

Glancing back at the body, Halt took in the same observation Will had. The green dress, green slippers to match, it was all the same. Crowley was bending over the girl's body, unaware of the resemblance to Caitlyn Mainwaring-Treaty. He seemed to take something out her the girl's hand, and examine it.

"What's that?" Halt walked over, and looked over Crowley's shoulder to see what he had. It was a necklace, possibly some type of amulet, that she had been clutching. It was simple, a small circle of flattened metal, with a round green gem placed in the middle of it. The chain that had held it around the girl's neck was broken.

It was strangely familiar to Halt.

"Don't tell me," Halt started grimly.

"It's exactly the same." They finished in unison. They had found the same amulet at the crime scene, years ago. Crowley stared at the amulet, mesmerized by the gem in middle. Halt paused. Crowley normally would have noticed Will's slight panic, and would have noticed that he was gone. In fact, he should have noticed the similarities between Amelia Talper and Will's daughter, as they have meet countless times.

"Crowley . . ." Halt started.

Crowley didn't seem to notice Halt's wariness. "It's the same murder, Halt! Same everything! Same victim, same murderer, right?" He didn't take his eyes off the amulet, even when Will walked up next to Halt, and stared down at his commandant. Halt noticed the barely held back revulsion in his apprentice's face. Normally, Halt would have questioned that face being directed at his old friend, but at the moment, he deserved it. Crowley kept going, "We could catch them this time! We got so close last time, Halt, this time - this time, though. We can catch them. Make sure they don't do anything else, maybe give this woman peace, even after - what, four decades? Five? I don't even remember, but maybe we could finally save this woman -"

"She's not a woman, Crowley, stop saying she's one." Will suddenly snapped. Crowley's trance suddenly seemed broken, and he flinched, and wrenched his eyes away from the gem. He blinked a few times, and stared up at Will, his face displaying nothing but confusion. "She can't be older than twenty, no younger than fifteen. Just because she had a sophisticated job doesn't automatically mean she's old enough for it." He wanted to say more, Will did, but he could see the warning in Halt's eyes. He was alarmed, he knew, from the resemblance to his daughter, and that didn't give him the right to snap at his commandant, no matter how confused or lost they seemed.

He turned away, from his confused boss, and his alarmed mentor. He gestured towards the trees. "Have you noticed the marks in the tree's bark?" He asked quietly.

When he turned back, Will gladly noticed that Crowley had handed over the amulet to Halt, who had immediately placed it inside his saddlebags on Abelard, and was holding the sash that had fallen across the girl's neck after taking her life. Halt turned to Will. "What marks?"

Walking towards the tree line, Will pointed towards a trunk. On it, lines were carved deeply into the wood, lines with no rhyme or reason. They both stared at them, turning to look at other trees as Will noticed them. All of the trees immediately surrounding the small clearing they were all marred by the lines etched in.

"Outside of this clearing, most of the trees for a few meters are marked up as well. The marks thin out after the first five meters, and after the full fifteen meters, they hit every tree once again, like they are inside the clearing. After that, they all but disappear," Will murmured.

* * *

_Fifteen meters away, just outside the circle of marred trees, watching Will's and Halt's back, something waited. No, it wouldn't go after them until later. It narrowed it's eyes. Yes . . . It'd go after the young one, the one it was unfamiliar with, first. Then the red-head. Then onto the actual threat. The one most likely to_ _succeed._

_But, not until later._

_Not until the young one was alone._


	2. Part 2: I'm Not Convinced

"So, like before, we only have a few things to go on," Crowley started, "and that includes: rips in the skirt, but no damage to the shoes, strangled with the sash that went with the gown, and that she was supposed to meet with Adalaine Verline, didn't, and was found dead three days later." 

Halt shook his head. "How many times do I have to say it?" 

Crowley looked over the sheets he was reading from, and across to Halt, who was sitting on the other side of the table. Will, like he had been in Crowley's office a few days earlier, was sitting on the arm of the couch, listening to the two old friends debate.  

"Say what?" Halt threw down the papers he had been holding onto the table in exasperation.  

"Will found some additional information, which is actually rather helpful." Will, only partially listening, quietly murmured his agreement.  

The commandant slowly put down his papers on the table as well. As usual, his face showed pure confusion. "And you already told it to me?"  

The young Ranger looked away. Spending this long with the two of them, with their non-stop bickering, got rather tiresome. If only there was something he could do, without Halt or Crowley, that could still help further the investigation. But so far, the investigation seemed limited to the crime scene. There weren't any witnesses, as the crime happened decades ago, and no one to really ask questions to, because they were probably all dead. It was also rather possible, because the murder occurred so long ago, that the murderer was already six feet underground. 

He glanced back towards the bickering Rangers. One could almost assume that they were married, from how much they argued. He needed to get away from the two of them, even if it was just to go back to the crime scene. 

Standing up, he grabbed his cloak off the back of the couch. As he swung it around his shoulders, Will turned to tell Halt and Crowley that he was going out to double-check something at the scene. 

That's when it occurred to him.

Halt and Crowley, who were probably in their early thirties when originally investigating this murder, were still alive right now. Sure, their hair had faded, but they were still  alive.  And, if the murdered girl, Amelia Talper, had only been in her late teens at the time of her death, then it  was  possible that friends her age were still alive as well. 

The only friend that they knew about was Adalaine Verline. 

"Halt." Will said, just as he picked up his bow, and slung it over his shoulder. Halt turned immediately, ignoring Crowley's rebuke. He took in Will's attire, and the fact that he was prepared to go out. He motioned for Will to continue what he was going to say. "I need to check up on something. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I think I'll make it back tonight."

"Be careful," was all Halt replied with.

As Will left the room, Halt turned back to continue arguing with Crowley. He knew that his old friend would keep them here, trying to find the solution to the problem just by trying to think through it. He had actually been waiting for Will to find something to go do, and hopefully further the investigation by actually doing something. The grizzled Ranger was fine with letting Will be the one to figure things out.

* * *

The middle-aged woman who stood in front of Will vaguely reminded him of Lady Pauline. Her brown hair, cut short at her shoulders, was half-way faded to grey. Her bright hazel eyes screamed intelligence, as did her face. When the steward walked him into her office, for some reason he was surprised to see her wearing a green dress remarkably similar to the one found on her dead friend. The only difference was that instead of silver thread, Adalaine Verline's was threaded with gold, and instead of matching slippers, the Baroness was wearing practical riding boots. 

Baroness Adalaine Verline greeted Will graciously, offering a selection of drinks, including coffee.

About nine years back, Will somewhat recalled the announcement of the first woman Baron, or Baroness. It was only a small fief, in the central south of the country, but it was still big news, and a huge achievement. It wasn't until Will heard the name Adalaine Verline that the  memory was brought forth again. He just didn't connect it with the problem at hand until he was trying to find something to do. By mere chance, the small fief just so happened to border Erostey, called Bellenau. There also wasn't a big chance that'd he'd find anything new, as Halt or Crowley or both probably interviewed her during their investigation, but he had to try. Go over things for himself. See if she recalled anything.

"So, Ranger Will, what can I do for you?" They both sat, after shaking hands. Will leaned back, making himself as comfortable as possible in the straight-backed chair he was shown to. When he had entered her office, he had respectively lowered his hood. From showing his oak leaf to the steward, it still hung outside of his collar. He shoved it back inside his collar, hoping that it would show that this conversation was casual, and nothing formal. 

"Just Will, please," he said, and as she nodded, he continued, "I'm actually currently involved in a murder investigation, and just needed to ask you a few questions about the victim."

She leaned back in her seat, her eyes showing a sudden interest. "A murder? Was it someone I knew? Our local Ranger hasn't come to us about a murder in Bellenau's borders."

Will shook his head, but waited to respond as the steward came in, carrying two cups of steaming coffee. The steward set one on Adalaine's desk, and then handed the second cup to Will. Not wanting to delay the conversation, Will declined to put anything in his coffee, and took it black. The Baroness took a few spoonfuls of milk in her coffee, and the steward left. When the door closed, Will took a sip of his coffee, and then set it on the edge of the desk to cool down. "No, it's not a local murder. But it is someone from your past, yes."

"Well, I hope I can help." She took a sip of her coffee.

He smiled slightly. Now how was he going to do this? It's not like she'd believe him if he said that the body showed up again, almost as if the girl was murdered the day before. He didn't like to lie, especially to this woman, but he did so anyway. "Recently, the Ranger Commandant has considered reopening cold cases, to see if it would be possible to still close them after a certain amount of time. With my luck, I was chosen as a guinea pig, and as your luck would have it, the first cold case reopened is one you were somewhat involved in."

The Baroness leaned back into her chair, the curiosity in her eyes suddenly gone. "It's Amelia again, isn't it." Now, she just looked tired. 

Leaning forward for his coffee, Will grimaced. "I'm sorry if this brings you any discomfort, My Lady, but it's something my idiot of a commandant is requiring of me." He leaned back with his coffee, holding the cup to his chest.

The smile somewhat returned to her face. "First off, if I'm to call you Will, you're to call me Addie. Second, are you allowed to say that of your commandant?"

"Well, Addie," Will said, smiling, "my commandant isn't here, and even if he was, I wouldn't change my word choice."

She laughed, and picked up her coffee. One would say, Will thought, that she aged gracefully. Over the rim of her cup, she asked, "So, what about Amy do you need to know? Wouldn't my original interview be written down somewhere?"

"Ahh, yes, your original interview," Will muttered. Upon seeing the confusion on her face, he put down his empty coffee cup, and clasped his hands together. "Your original interview was conducted by an idiot, and, in my opinion, was incomplete."

"Let me guess, my interview was conducted by the current commandant?"

Now it was Will's turn to laugh. "You guessed correctly." He shrugged, "I mean, I have nothing against the guy, but the only thing he's really good at is moving silently and doing paperwork. Although, I was told he did some decent work when he was younger, but after reading the file, I think otherwise."

"So, what do you need from me?" 

In the file, Crowley had only asked basic questions: what was your relationship; were you close; what was your reaction when she didn't show up; when was the last time you saw her before she disappeared; etcetera. He mainly kept the questions around when she disappeared, but he didn't ask specific questions about Amelia's life before her murder. Will would have to ask the questions Crowley forgot.

"Okay, since I already have your answers to the basic questions, I have to try and get the more specific questions. It's perfectly okay if you can't remember the answers, but you do need to try. Got it?" Across from him, Addie nodded her understanding, and waved for him to continue with his questions. He went with his gut feeling for his first question, and directed it towards the marks on the trees. "Do you remember if Amelia had any hobbies?  Like  drawing, sketching, or anything, really?"

Screwing her fa ce up,  the Baroness thought , seemingly thinking hard . For a moment, she looked as if she wanted to say something, but thought better of it, and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. It's been so long."

"You were going to say something." He murmured as he stood up, and idly wandered over to the window that was on his right. They were only a single story up, still part of the main keep. He didn't turn to see her reaction to his statement.

"Oh," she hesitated, "well, it's just you asked for hobbies. I remembered something rather . . . memorable, but I doubt it would be considered a hobby." 

Will crossed his arms, but didn't turn back to the Baroness. "Tell me." A few riders rode threw the front gate of Castle Bellenau. He acted as if he was studying them, but instead focused on the sound of Adalaine’s voice, listening for tremors, breaks,  or anything that could tell a lie.

“Well . . . I would say that Amy had rather interesting ‘hobbies’, for lack of a better word, but normal people probably wouldn’ t consider them  a  ‘hobby’.” She paused,  but as Will still hadn’t turned back around, she just continued, “In all honesty, her ‘hobbies’ were the reason I  asked to have lunch with her the day we noticed she was gone.”

Turning back around,  Will started to say, “So, that lunch invite wasn’t just a friendly meet-up then ?” Silently, though, to himself, he thought of what her words could mean. Previously, they hadn’t known what time of the day she was first noticed missing, just that she had missed a meal date with her mistress.  Now that he knew she disappeared  before  lunch, that meant that she had plenty of time to get  herself from Caraway to Erostey, because before they had believed she had disappea red before dinner.

“No. I was going to tell her . . .” she hesitated  again, but she started again as Will raised his eyebrow, “tell her that, well, that she would have to leave. If she didn’ t stop  her ‘hobbies’ , that is. ”

“Maybe,” Will chuckled quietly, “maybe, it might be a good idea if I knew what these ‘hobbies’  are.”

Addie grimaced. “If I remember correctly, she, uh,  l iked to study the supernatural,” and she didn’t say anymore. 

Will studied her once again, taking in her graceful form, her faded  hair, the dress that looked nearly exact to the one Amelia Talper had been wearing when she had been killed. Their eyes met as the  silence stretched on, the Baroness possibly getting curious as to why the Ranger wasn’t responding. The hazel eyes held some sort of understanding , some sort of information , but the brain behind them couldn’t seem to figure out how to pass the information over.

When Adalaine had looked up, and met the  dark, but intelligent eyes of the young Ranger, she took in him as well. Short, slender,  and rather small, when she first saw him, she hadn’t thought too much of him. Then she heard his name, Will Treaty, and then looked into his eyes. She could see how dangerous this man was.

But how could she possibly tell him? It’s not as if she was afraid of tarnishing Amy’s legacy, because she had none, and by the time she disappeared, she was  practically shunned at Castle Caraway. When she finally looked away from the Ranger, and down into her coffee cup, she could still feel his eyes on her. The Ranger knew she was keeping something to herself. But could he know that she didn’t kn ow how to get it across to him?

“She meet up with any strangers before she disappeared?” he asked quietly.

“She always had strange visitors. She met with one a few days before I asked to talk  with her, but I recognized him, so I didn’t really question it.”

“Can you describe this last visitor?”

She pursed her lips as she thought. “Well,  he was definitely an older gentleman. Sort of looked like a monk, with a partially shaved head, and an old robe, but at the same time you could tell he wasn’t a monk ,” she thought for a moment, and continued, “If I remember correctly, he was probably taller than you –“

“Most people are.”  Will glanced out the window again, this time a group of kids playing a game in the yard, catching his eye.

“ —with black hair.” She smiled slightly, glad that he was taking the conversation back into comfortable grounds.

“Do you think he’d be alive now?”

Addie shook her head immediately. “Oh, no. I remember when I first saw him, I was surprised he was still standing then. No  chance in him being alive now.”

Will nodded  marginally. He started to twist his wedding ring around his finger, taking comfort in the solid feel of the ring.  The ring was what reminded him to ask his next question. “Was she seeing anyone?”

The older woman shook her head, doubtful. “I couldn’t say. But what I can say, is that while she never indulged  me with that information, I do  know that she  isolated herself. I was really her only friend.”

“Before, I asked if she drew at all?”

“Not sure if you could call what she showed me drawing, but I never told her she was horrible at it. I encouraged her to try and get better, but she kept coming to me with –“

“ With a different pattern of lines.” Will finished it for her. He was  getting  a  bad feeling that the marks he found on the trees were more than just marks. He put a hand inside his shirt  and pulled out a sheet of paper. On it, he had copied, to the best of his abilities, a few of the marks found on the trees.  Unfolding it, he stepped away from the window and towards Addie’s desk. He held it out for her to see. “ Were these them?”

“I couldn’t possibly tell each she showed me apart, but the style is obviously the same. She probably showed those to me, and I just said  ‘good job, Amy, those came out nice’ . But yes, those look  like the drawings she showed me. ”

Will nodded , and prepared himself to ask the last question. He’d have to be blunt about it, just to get it out of Adalaine, but he would have to know. And it was getting late. If he hoped to get back to Erostey by night, he’d have to leave soon.

“One last question, Addie, then I’ll get out of your hair,” she didn ’t nod her understanding or wave him on, but just leaned back in her chair. Will took that as a cue to continue, “Those ‘supernatural studies’ you mentioned earlier. Did they ever consist of possibly trying out  experiments?”

Adalaine Verline’s face darkened dramatically. She stood up, and walked around the desk.  Will was still standing in front of it, but he had put away his copy of the etchings, and was just leaning against the desk. They stood in front of each other.  “Sadly,” was all she said.

Will nodded, and moved towards to door of her office. “Thank you, Addie, for answering these question s.  Because of you, I may not have to go through with this cold case.” That got her to smile again, and the darkness to recede from her face.  


Putting his hood up, he walked out of the room, aware that she was following behind him. As he passed the steward’s desk, he quietly thanked the man, and started to head for the stairs. Before he could go down, though, a thought struck him.   


“ Addie?” Will turned back around. The steward had gone in to collect the empty coffee cups, and was already slipping around Will to bring them down to be washed. They were alone in the antechamber.

“Yes, Will?”

“I know I said the last question was the last question, but may I ask you something else ?” He knew he wasn’t going to get the sarcastic retort he always got from Halt for that one.

“Go right ahead.”  She casually leaned against the stewards desk.

“Where was Ameila buried?”

The Baroness set her jaw, and stood up straight. She answered Will as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “ I didn’t want her back near my home, Castle Caraway, if you  get what I mean . My father was rather surprised when I requested it, but I asked if she would be buried in Erostey. I don’t know what graveyard, just that it’s near the main castle. ”

The answer didn’t surprise Will. “You didn’t go to her funeral, then?”

Adalaine Verline shook her head. “ I played sick, and stayed home.”

* * *

“Okay, yeah, I just wanted to clear that up. Yeah, myself and two other Rangers are handling it, but it’s nothing serious, hopefully. I was just involved in it earlier, and I’d like to see how  they play it out. Okay, so you’ll be going back t o the northern part of the fief,  again? Okay, thanks. See you at the next Gathering, Gavin. I expect to  see you there during the first day as well . . . oh shut up.”

Still, Halt sat in the same room he had been in before, this time l istening to Crowley speak with the local Ranger, who just showed up out of the blue to check in. He turned the medallion around in his hands, studying the mesmerizing green of the small gem in the center, feeling the ridges of where a hammer struck the metal to flatten it,  examining the broken links in the chain. It looked as if it was torn off the wearer’s neck, but it was obviously  Amelia Talper’s. What didn’t make sense is why it was broken, yet in her hand. She wouldn’t have broken her own  necklace just to hold it in her hand. Would she?

That’s when Crowley walked back in, and suddenly, Halt felt the desire to get away from his old friend. He had been acting weird, especially around the amulet Halt was currently holding. 

“Lemme see that.” The sandy haired commandant re ached out for the necklace, but there was no excuse as to why he shouldn’t hand it over. He set it on the table, rather than hand it to him. Crowley eagerly picked up the thin piece of metal, and instantly forgot about the Ranger sitting across from him.  He sat studying the necklace, just as Halt had, but he didn’t even turn it. He just stared. And Halt stared at Crowley, wondering what the hell was going on with his friend.

That’s when Will walked back into the room.

All he saw was his mentor, sitting in the exact same spot he had been in when Will had left that morning, and his commandant, leaning over the table and staring at the amulet he had found. The hungry look in his eyes  set off alarm bells in Will’s head.

“I’m back,” he said, still standing in the doorway. Halt nodded, Crowley didn’t move.  Will raised an eyebrow. “So, I got some more info.” Halt nodded again in response, but Crowley still didn’t move a muscle. “ I can tell you it  now, but if you ’re busy ,  I can come back later.” Halt nodded. Now what the hell was that supposed to mean? Will angrily snapped, “Yeah, don’t thank me at all, it’s fine.  Not like I’m doing all the work here.” Halt nodded.  He had only been back for five seconds, and he was already keen to get out of the room. “Look, I’m gonna go see if I can close this stupid investigation right now, so – nothing ?” Halt nodded. Will turned in the doorway, prepared to leave them like that. But he  paused. “Yeah, I’ m just going to go do some grave-digging , please make sure I don’t get arrested for that. I’ ll also be  back in the forest.” Something pushed W ill to say the next  words. “Alone.  By myself.”

Neither Halt nor Crowley responded.

“Fine,” Will muttered. “I’m leaving Tug in the stables. I’m walking.”

* * *

Sitting below Will was the cover of a coffin. 

When he had left, he’d asked a guard where the nearest graveyard was to Castle Erostey. Apparently, it wasn’t that far from the crime scene, inside the forest as well.

In his near decade of being a graduated Ranger, Will had done some weird and crazy things just for his job. But never, never in his life, did he picture himself digging up a grave.

“Check that off my list,” he muttered to himself.

Still holding the shovel, and moving it above his head in a stabbing gesture, he quickly said sorry to the ghost of Amelia Talper. Then he brought down the  shovel, the blade of it breaking the lid of the cheap coffin open with ease. Will peered in. 

“Well, that explains a lot.”

* * *

_ It watched the young one climb out of the hole, and start to fill it back up. Soon, it would go back to the circle of marked trees. That’s when it would make it’s move.  _

_ Finally, he could start hunting again. _


	3. Part 3: Nothing Is Impossible

Since the three Rangers had made it to Erostey Castle, only Will had left it. Not that the commandant noticed, and not that Halt could do anything about it. Every time he stood up to leave, thinking that Crowley was done arguing or sleeping, suddenly something else was brought to the front of the commandant's mind, and the debate would start up all over again. Once, Halt tried standing up and leaving, telling Crowley outright that he was leaving. Crowley was fine with that, but when Halt opened the door from their room, it seemed that an accident had happened out in the hall, blocking the entire span of the corridor. It was almost as if something was keeping him there.

At the moment, Crowley had placed his forehead on the surface of the table, and was silent. Halt sat across from him, staring at the top of his friend's head.

He glanced out the window. Had Will ever come back from wherever he went? It was rather late, and Will said he was positive he'd be back that night. Halt shook his head. Will's graduated, he can take care of himself. Halt had no reason to worry.

Unless Will had come back, and left for something else.

"Y'know, Halt, I just thought of something." Crowley's voice came out muffled from being faced down towards the table's surface.

Halt sighed inwardly. "What now?"

"It's a ghost. Or maybe some type of demon?"

" _What?"_

Crowley lifted his head from the table-top, and rested his chin on his hands. "Y'know, like those marks were a summoning thing, and why we never found the killer is because he wasn't from this world, and why the body is here after, like, what four decades? It makes sense." There was a tired look in his eyes, his eyelids were drooped,

There was an incredulous look in Halt's eyes. "First off," he started, "that is literally impossible. That only happens in books. And second," Halt took a deep breath before he said this, getting angry because Crowley should have known it already, "if you so terribly want to figure out what happened here, the best way to do it is to go out there and find it. Sitting here and just contemplating it is doing nothing."

The commandant started to trace circles on the surface of the table, seemingly not paying attention to what Halt was saying. But then he replied. "Well, isn't that what Will's doing?"

"I don't know where Will is. I assume so." Halt scowled.

"I thought he went to go grave-digging in the forest." Crowley murmured, turning in his chair to see if the coffee pot was still on. If he got up to make it, it would be their sixth pot of the day.

Halt eyed the commandant critically. "What did you just say?" He wasn't ready to believe that Will was going grave-digging - not because it was illegal, but becauseit didn't make sense to their current situation. "How long ago?" It also bothered him that Crowley noticed and he didn't. Something was going on here in Erostey other than impossible murders.

The commandant shrugged. "I think he came in around ten-ish."

It was past one in the morning. Now it didn't just bother him that he didn't see Will come in or leave, but that he'd gone grave-digging out in the forest, which was only a half an hour away, and still wasn't back. He stood up, grabbing his cloak off the back of his chair. Swinging his cloak around his shoulders, he walked towards the wall where he had leaned his bow. Crowley lifted his head a few centimeters to see what he was doing. His eyes narrowed.

"What're you doing?" He asked, his interest piqued.

"Going out to find Will," the grizzled Ranger replied shortly.

"Well," Crowley said standing up, "Will's a full-fledged Ranger. He can take care of himself." He moved towards the door, and leaned his back against it while crossing his arms. Halt slung his bow over his shoulders, and stepped up to the table. On it, the amulet still sat where Crowley had dropped it earlier. The Ranger studied the amulet for a second, contemplating whether it really was a good idea to bring the thing, but something in his head told him that he had too. He pocketed the necklace, and turned to face the commandant who was still attempting to block the doorway. Blocking his exit.

Blocking his way to his apprentice.

He tried to reason first: "Crowley, look, if you remembered the time correctly, that means that he's been gone for over three hours. Nearly four. It only takes a half an hour to get to the forest. He should be back by now."

The commandant scowled. "He left Tug in the stables. No doubt it took longer for him to get there."

"Why would he leave Tug?"

He shrugged. "I would assume that he rushed back here from Bellenau, wanted Tug to rest, and so decided to walk."

Now Halt was truly confused. How did Crowley know all this, yet he was clueless? He had been sitting across from Crowley the entire time! "Bellenau? Why would he be in Bellenau, let alone rushing here from there?"

At that, confusion crossed the commandant's face. "I-I heard him say it when he left."

"No you didn't," Halt snapped, "you weren't even paying attention when Will originally left. He said he had to go check up on something, but never specified what he was going to do. This grave-digging business is the first I've heard of him since then!"

Now there was a look of panic in his eyes. "I-I just know? I don't know how I know, but I just do okay? Something with Lady Adalaine, I think?"

Halt walked towards the door, and his friend, and stood directly in front of him. He stared into Crowley's eyes, determined to go find his apprentice. "Look. I don't care if you're also suddenly getting the knowledge that he's alive and uninjured,  _I am going out there to find him, whether you like it or not."_  This kind of behavior was odd for Crowley, especially him sitting around and trying to think through a case rather than actually working through it. It bothered the old Ranger, but he was, at the moment, determined to go find his missing apprentice, and wasn't to be bothered with the problem of a confused commandant.

Thinking of Will in terms of 'missing' brought forward painful memories.

Crowley raised his hands in front of him, almost as if he was defending himself from a blow. "Okay, y'know what, I don't even know why I protested in the first place, because you're obviously going out no matter what I say," Halt nodded in response to that, and rested a hand on his saxe. Crowley gulped, fear in his eyes, "Go right ahead, go find him, because he definitely needs finding."

He let his hand slip from his saxe hilt. His old friend was acting weird, his moods switching from tired, to excited, from protesting to fearful. That wasn't his normal persona. He would need watching, just in case something else happened.

"You're coming with me."

* * *

_After trying the hardest it could, it let go of it's will over the red-headed one. They would come soon, propelled by their missing friend. It would have to kill the young one before they came. Because they came with something he could do nothing against._

* * *

Will sprinted in the direction he thought the castle would be in. Whatever it was, it was fast.

Could he run the half an hour to Erostey?

Could he outrun whatever was behind him?

There was a dreadful screeching behind him, and the footfalls seem to quicken. It reminded Will of the Kalkara.

Yet that was no Kalkara.

After digging up Amelia Talper's grave, seeing the coffin filled with the body of a woman, but the insides inscribed with multitudes of small scratches that were mimicking the marks on the trees, Will had gone deeper into the forest for the original clearing with the intentions to compare some of the marks. When he got to the clearing, he saw that the body of the young girl was still lying in the center, as if it was never moved. He had stopped at the edge of the clearing, at first confused, as there was the girl's body back at Castle Erostey, and one in the grave he had just buried again. How was there a third? Then he stood there, realizing he'd have to go forward to see if it was the same girl - meaning that he'd have to see his daughter's dead face once again. Even though it wasn't actually Caitlyn.

When he had finally stepped forward to see if it was her, he stumbled partially, and accidently put his foot on her wrist. His foot landed on the ground, going through her body as if it was an illusion. That's when he realized what was going on, when he realized that whatever she had summoned was still there.

Then came the screeching, and the sprinting, and mind-numbing terror of being chased by the unknown.

If he had brought Tug, he'd be way ahead of whatever was chasing him. If he had brought Tug, he would have been killed alongside the Ranger.

Will stumbled as he ran, but caught himself, and continued his sprint.

He was already thinking of himself as dead.

Was there even an escape?  _Could_ he get away? He certainly couldn't get away by running through the forest. For once, in the forest, he was the hunted, rather than the hunter. He dodged to the side as he saw a tree come up in his path, felt his cloak snap around in, and realized there was a possibility. He'd escaped plenty of killers by using his cloak. Could he use it know, though? Against the unknown?

Ahead of him, he could see the trees got thicker. That meant that he was either getting to the edge of the forest, or where the main highway was. If it was the highway, then he'd gone the wrong direction, and would have to run down the road or go back into the forest on the other side, extending his run and probably getting himself killed. If it  _was_ the clearing between him and the castle, then he did have a chance.

Except for the fact that the open ground between the castle and the forest was a good fifteen minute walk. He would never run that with whatever was behind him.

The thing screeched again, this time closer.

Will dodged more branches and trees, bushes with thorns, large roots, and fallen trees.

He could try to shoot the thing?

He reached over his shoulder, unslinging the large longbow from his back. To shoot it, he'd have to stop and turn briefly, find it, and shoot. He could try and shoot it while still running, but that could cause him to run into a tree, or trip over a root, and he didn't want to risk that. He needed to stay on his feet.

The young Ranger reached over his shoulder once again, but this time he grabbed an arrow from his quiver. He nocked it, and continued to run. Just before the forest went from thick to thicker, he spun, planting his feet and pulling back the string.

He was only in half draw when his bow shattered.

Something clawed up his arm, sending splinters from his bow flying everywhere.

Will didn't hesitate, and dropped the remains of his bow. He sprinted away from whatever had done that, but soon heard the thing's footsteps. They were way too close.

He had no weapons other than his knives, and he didn't know if he could risk throwing them behind him. His only hope was his cloak. The young Ranger entered the thick foliage before the clearing, or road, and dodged to the side, putting his body up against a thick trunk.

Trust the cloak, he thought, and he pressed his body to the trunk, stomach pressed into the thick bark.  _Trust the cloak._

He could feel the blood drip from his arm, run down his entire arm, drip to the ground from his fingers. How deep could the wound be? He was starting to lose feeling in his arm. He didn't even feel the pain.

_Trust the cloak._

Whatever was chasing him shrieked again. Will flinched, involuntarily. It sounded as if it was on the other side of the tree. He clenched his hand in a fist, feeling the blood squelch in his hand.

Footsteps sounded exactly where Will had thought, on the other side of the tree. They didn't sound especially heavy. In fact, they sounded like the size of a normal, human, grown man. He stopped breathing. All he had to do was wait for it to pass, to continue on.

The footsteps stood still.

_All he had to do was trust the cloak._

Something slammed into his side, tearing up his formerly good arm, his side, and his back. Will yelled out, the pain, and momentum of whatever hit him, throwing him down to the ground.

The young, bleeding Ranger stared up at the ceiling of the forest. He couldn't even see the stars through the foliage. His entire body was numb, yet his back, right side and arm, and left arm, were throbbing. This isn't healthy if I intend to live longer, Will thought, attempting to staunch the flow of blood running out of his side with his arm.

And then the forest ceiling was blocked out by even more blackness.

Except Will hadn't closed his eyes, and he could still hear clearly.

He turned his head to the side, and could see the trunk he had hidden against. He looked back up, and could only see black.

When the monster shrieked again, that's when he realized that the blackness above was what had been chasing him.

He wasn't going to survive this, not at all.

* * *

Halt and Crowley trotted their horses, keen on getting to the forest's edge, but not wanting to tire their horses, even if they did have a large stamina, and would gallop if they needed to. So far, they hadn't heard anything to cause worry, and therefore they didn't speed up their horses further than a canter.

When they finally did get to the forest's edge, they dismounted, and led Abelard and Cropper through the beginning of the thick bushes. Crowley was acting normal, fretting over how he had sat in a room and let Will do all the work, worrying that he tried to keep Halt from going out and finding his apprentice who  _had_ been gone for an extended period. Saying he was a horrible commandant, had his skills really deteriorated from what they once were?

"Shut it," Halt growled, pushing back a low branch that hung in his way. "Let's just find Will, and deal with this later."

That's when they heard the scream. Both of the older Rangers paused, looking forward in the direction they were walking.

"Was that . . ." Crowley hesitated, not wanting to voice what they both realized.

"Will." Halt whispered.

* * *

Will had pulled himself back next to the tree, leaning up against the trunk. The blackness still stood above him, and with Will's newfound position, he could make out the shape of whatever was there.

It was shaped like a human, but a large one. Much larger than Horace, much larger than the farmers and loggers Will had seen throughout Araluen. The only thing that wasn't human about it is that it was as black as the night, with a sort of static look to it, and its voice. He could hear it breathe, a growl with each breath.

So much for trusting the cloak, thought Will, as he felt the tattered strips of the green-grey material underneath him.

Something glinted in the thing's hand, if that's what you could call it.

The Ranger gulped. He slipped his saxe out of its sheath, and held it ready to defend himself. The thing raised it's arm-like appendage, raising the blade or claw. Will closed his eyes, and waited.

And waited.

He peeked one eye open, and looked for the figure. It was still there, but it was turned partially, it's arm still raised, but paused before the killing stroke. It was looking over it's shoulder . . . looking at Halt.

"No . . ."

It curled its arm down, and turned to face Halt completely. His mentor's eyes were locked to Will's though, not even looking at the monster that stood before him.

"Are you okay?" Halt asked softly. Will couldn't believe it. His father was just completely disregarding the threat. Now Halt would die, and then Will would die knowing that Halt had died.

Will tried to lift himself up higher, but only managed to slid further down the trunk. "I-I . . ." Will couldn't speak. He was losing too much blood.

Before Will fell out of consciousness, the thing shrieked once more, and threw itself towards Halt. From the young Ranger's point of view, it didn't look at if Halt tried to defend himself, but that he ended up throwing a small circle disk at the charging entity. Then, everything went black.

* * *

Will lay curled on his side, with his legs drawn up to his chest, and a pillow clutched to his chest. He refused to sleep, because the one time he had closed his eyes while in the infirmary, that monster stood above him once again, bearing down on him. That time, he'd woken up gasping, coughing, not being able to breath, and Halt had immediately shown up, as if he'd been sitting nearby.

Now, Halt sat on the opposite bed, sitting silently, content to be silent company, and Will was content to have his silent company.

Until Crowley walked in.

The young Ranger was wearing a light shirt, but the way he way laying had ridden up the shirt, showing his back and the bandages that were crisscrossed there. His arms were also covered in bandages, from his wrists to his shoulders.

Crowley stopped in the doorway, staring at Will's back, and a feeling of terrible weighted guilt fell on him. That was his fault.

Will's mentor looked up as the commandant stopped in the doorway. He was happy to see him, but wasn't exactly excited for what followed his appearance. "Why now, Crowley?"

Crowley bit his lip, and gripped the papers in his hand harder. "It's been three days. We've already waited too long, according to the usual rules."

Halt scowled, and prepared himself to snap at Crowley that he didn't see a supernatural attack going under the 'usual' category. Will replied before he could say anything, though. "So, you need to know what happened, right? The entire story, from when I left from Bellenau, to when I was attacked?"

For a moment, Crowley looked like he was about to burst into tears. "Well . . . no, no, not the entire thing. I've been gone because I was speaking with Baroness Adalaine, so I've learned what you learned from her. Uhh, do-do I need to tell you, Halt?"

Again, Will responded instead of the grizzled Ranger, "No, we've been speaking a lot, so he knows." He buried his face in the pillow, pulling his legs tighter to his chest. Halt stood up, moving from the bed across from Will's to sitting at the edge of his bed.

Crowley gulped. "So, uh, well -"

"I went grave-digging because I wanted to know if her body was still down there. When I, uh, opened the lid of the coffin, I noticed marking inside the lid that were similar to the ones on the trees in the clearing where she had been found." Halt hid a smile. Will had told him that he'd been so tired, that he'd just bashed in the lid rather than take the time to find the lid in the first place. "So, I went back to the clearing to compare some of them. When I got there, the body was back again. I went over, but I stumbled somewhat, and my foot landed on her wrist. Except, my foot went through her. That's when everything just sorta made sense, and I ran."

Everyone was silent as the commandant scratched that onto one of the papers he was holding. When he stopped, Will resituated himself so his head was resting on the pillow, and he opened his mouth to say more. Crowley held up his hands, paper in one, graphite in the other. "No, nope, I don't want to know the rest. I know that it broke your bow, and it nearly killed you. I don't want to bring any more to the forefront of your mind." Will nodded his understanding, and moved his face back so that it was shoved into the side of the pillow. Crowley, who still looked like he was about to cry, folded up his papers, and shoved them into the satchel he had at his side.

That's when Halt opened his mouth. "None of us are going to say anything about the sudden appearance of the supernatural? Nothing about a supposed demonic summons? Nothing?"

Will didn't lift his head, but only buried it deeper into the pillow. Halt set a hand on his ankle. Crowley bit his lip, drawing blood. "Well," the commandant started, "supposedly, she summoned whatever it was back when we reestablished the Corps, so it's not like it's a sudden appearance. Maybe it's just the first we've been witness to. Maybe it's just the first where someone actually survived."

"And what happens when we run into more?" Halt pointed out.

Crowley took a deep, unsteady breath. "Then we deal with it. Like you did this one."

Turning to face Crowley head-on, Halt sighed. "I threw Amelia's amulet at the thing on a complete hunch, Crowley. And even then, I didn't expect the thing to just disappear. In other cases, we may not get chances like that."

"Then we'll deal with it some other way," came Will's muffled addition.

The commandant nodded his satisfaction and, even though unsteady, walked towards the exit. Halt called after him, "What? No 'I told you so'?"

"What?" He paused in the doorway, but didn't turn back to face Halt.

"You said that it was the supernatural, that that was the only way this was happening, because a body coming back from over four decades isn't possible. I said no, that was even less possible. I was wrong."

Crowley shrugged. "I was right. You were wrong. But because of  _my_  ignorance, not yours, Will was almost killed." He didn't give either Halt or Will chance to reply, and left the room. Halt stared after his friend, slightly confused. Wasn't I the one who didn't realize Will had even come back?

"Halt?" Out came Will's muffled voice.

"Yes, Will?"

"Nothing's impossible now, right?"

Halt took a deep breath, and looked down the bed at his apprentice. He was still curled on his side, clutching the pillow with his face shoved in the side, with his legs drawn up to his chest. From Halt's view, Will looked not a day into his apprenticeship, still young and innocent. His vision was marred by the clear view of the bandages covering his body. He let out the breath.

"Unfortunately."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! I'd love to know if there's anything I need to improve on!


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